Sports

A year of Donald Trump and the world of sports

Even had you wanted to, it was virtually impossible to ignore US President Donald Trump during his first year in office. Here are some of his more curious brushes with the world of sports.

Giving up on his team?

Donald Trump is friends with the New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. However, Trump seemed to give up on his team in February 2017, leaving his own Super Bowl 51 party during the third quarter – with the Pats trailing the Atlanta Falcons 28-3. The Patriots went on to stage the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, winning 34-28 in OT.

In support of refugees

One of Donald Trump's first acts as president was to sign an executive order known as the travel ban, affecting citizens of several Muslim-majority countries. Sudan-born Los Angeles Lakers forward Luol Deng was one of the most outspoken athletes to take issue with the ban. Deng spoke about how he had been a refugee in Egypt as a child and the need for countries like the US to welcome immigrants.

Schadenfreude

In 2016 Colin Kaepernick started the "take a knee" protests to raise attention to racial injustice in the United States. He has paid a high price - Kaepernick has been out of a job since last March. Trump expressed satisfaction after a media report cited an NFL source who said no team would sign the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback due to fear of a backlash from the president.

'On good terms'

German two-time Masters champion, Bernhard Langer was the subject of a tale that Trump reportedly told of people voting illegally in 2016. Trump allegedly said Langer, who is not a US citizen but lives in Florida, had been turned away after trying to vote. The White House rejected the story, but Langer said Trump later phoned to apologize for "anything that hurt me" and "we're on good terms."

Not all Patriots visit the White House

In April, Donald Trump's favorite National Football League team became the first major professional sports franchise to visit the White House since his inauguration. However, 34 members of the Superbowl LI-winning team declined the invitation to attend, although not all were reported to have been for political reasons.

Breathing new life into 'take a knee'

The "take a knee" protests seemed to be waning as the 2017 NFL season started, but the president just couldn't let it go. At a rally in Alabama in September, Trump complained about players taking part in the protests "disrespecting" the flag. "Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners when somebody disrespects our flag to say, 'Get that son of a b**** off the field?'" he asked.

'Incredible patriots'

The Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins played down politics when they took the storied old trophy to the White House in October. Trump described the Pens, who won their second consecutive Cup four months earlier, as "true champions and incredible patriots." The patriot part may be true for the seven Americans on the team, which also included seven Canadians, a Swede, a Russian and a Finn.

Steph Curry

Trump had a couple of run-ins with Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry during his first year in the Oval Office. Perhaps the most memorable started with the superstar's announcement in September that he would not attend a White House reception as a member of the NBA's championship team. Trump responded with a tweet criticizing Curry for "hesitating" and withdrew his invitation.

LeBron James

Another NBA superstar with whom the president butted heads on more than one occasion was LeBron James. The Cleveland Cavaliers forward stepped into Trump's dispute with Curry with a tweet of his own - in an effort to clarify the situation: "U bum @StephenCurry already said he isn't going! So therefore there ain't no invite. Going to White House was an honor until you showed up!"

'Soulless coward'

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was one of the most outspoken sporting figures about the president's actions during his first year in office. Perhaps his most biting words came in October after Trump claimed Barack Obama and other US presidents hadn't contacted the families of American soldiers killed in action. Speaking to The Nation, Popovich described Trump as a "soulless coward."

Don't call for a boycott!

ESPN gave journalist Jemele Hill (above left) a talking to after she called Trump a "white supremacist" in a tweet. The sports TV network later suspended her for two weeks for a "second violation of our social media guidelines" after she suggested that fans boycott advertisers who support the Dallas Cowboys, if they were upset by Jerry Jones' threat to bench any player who disrespected the flag.

Leaving in a huff

Donald Trump's vice president, Mike Pence, seemed to be having a good time prior to an NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and the San Francisco 49ers, but who could have known he wasn't planning to stay? After members of the 49ers knelt during the national anthem, Pence and his wife left the stadium. Trump then fired off a tweet effectively claiming that Pence had walked out on his request.

Giving up on his team?

Donald Trump is friends with the New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. However, Trump seemed to give up on his team in February 2017, leaving his own Super Bowl 51 party during the third quarter – with the Pats trailing the Atlanta Falcons 28-3. The Patriots went on to stage the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, winning 34-28 in OT.

In support of refugees

One of Donald Trump's first acts as president was to sign an executive order known as the travel ban, affecting citizens of several Muslim-majority countries. Sudan-born Los Angeles Lakers forward Luol Deng was one of the most outspoken athletes to take issue with the ban. Deng spoke about how he had been a refugee in Egypt as a child and the need for countries like the US to welcome immigrants.

Schadenfreude

In 2016 Colin Kaepernick started the "take a knee" protests to raise attention to racial injustice in the United States. He has paid a high price - Kaepernick has been out of a job since last March. Trump expressed satisfaction after a media report cited an NFL source who said no team would sign the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback due to fear of a backlash from the president.

'On good terms'

German two-time Masters champion, Bernhard Langer was the subject of a tale that Trump reportedly told of people voting illegally in 2016. Trump allegedly said Langer, who is not a US citizen but lives in Florida, had been turned away after trying to vote. The White House rejected the story, but Langer said Trump later phoned to apologize for "anything that hurt me" and "we're on good terms."

Not all Patriots visit the White House

In April, Donald Trump's favorite National Football League team became the first major professional sports franchise to visit the White House since his inauguration. However, 34 members of the Superbowl LI-winning team declined the invitation to attend, although not all were reported to have been for political reasons.

Breathing new life into 'take a knee'

The "take a knee" protests seemed to be waning as the 2017 NFL season started, but the president just couldn't let it go. At a rally in Alabama in September, Trump complained about players taking part in the protests "disrespecting" the flag. "Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners when somebody disrespects our flag to say, 'Get that son of a b**** off the field?'" he asked.

'Incredible patriots'

The Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins played down politics when they took the storied old trophy to the White House in October. Trump described the Pens, who won their second consecutive Cup four months earlier, as "true champions and incredible patriots." The patriot part may be true for the seven Americans on the team, which also included seven Canadians, a Swede, a Russian and a Finn.

Steph Curry

Trump had a couple of run-ins with Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry during his first year in the Oval Office. Perhaps the most memorable started with the superstar's announcement in September that he would not attend a White House reception as a member of the NBA's championship team. Trump responded with a tweet criticizing Curry for "hesitating" and withdrew his invitation.

LeBron James

Another NBA superstar with whom the president butted heads on more than one occasion was LeBron James. The Cleveland Cavaliers forward stepped into Trump's dispute with Curry with a tweet of his own - in an effort to clarify the situation: "U bum @StephenCurry already said he isn't going! So therefore there ain't no invite. Going to White House was an honor until you showed up!"

'Soulless coward'

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was one of the most outspoken sporting figures about the president's actions during his first year in office. Perhaps his most biting words came in October after Trump claimed Barack Obama and other US presidents hadn't contacted the families of American soldiers killed in action. Speaking to The Nation, Popovich described Trump as a "soulless coward."

Don't call for a boycott!

ESPN gave journalist Jemele Hill (above left) a talking to after she called Trump a "white supremacist" in a tweet. The sports TV network later suspended her for two weeks for a "second violation of our social media guidelines" after she suggested that fans boycott advertisers who support the Dallas Cowboys, if they were upset by Jerry Jones' threat to bench any player who disrespected the flag.

Leaving in a huff

Donald Trump's vice president, Mike Pence, seemed to be having a good time prior to an NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and the San Francisco 49ers, but who could have known he wasn't planning to stay? After members of the 49ers knelt during the national anthem, Pence and his wife left the stadium. Trump then fired off a tweet effectively claiming that Pence had walked out on his request.